Macbeth
Grade 12
English HL and FAl
Summaries
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
, Introduction
Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare.
He was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a
small town in England.
His plays were written about 400 years ago, but
they are still popular today. They have been
performed in hundreds of countries and
translated into nearly every language. By the time
he died in 1610, he had written about 38 plays and
over 150 poems.
Elizabethan Society
In Shakespeare’s time, England had a very unequal society. Some people were very rich,
but most were poor, although a middle class was developing. The powerful people were
wealthy landowners. Mostly these were the nobles, with titles like ‘Lord’ and ‘Lady’. They
inherited their wealth and high position in society. There was no democracy, like we have
today, and ordinary people could not vote for their rulers.
Women did not have equal rights to men. They could not inherit titles from their fathers,
and there were restrictions about women inheriting money. Only women from very
wealthy families were educated. Women were usually expected to be domestic servants
or housewives. Unlike many poor people, rich men were usually educated and could
read and write.
Most people were Christians and attended church regularly. The Church played an
important part in people’s lives. People did not live as long then as they do today – a
person was old at forty. Terrible diseases were common, like the plague, which was
spread by rats and killed thousands of people. Doctors did not have the skills or
knowledge to cure many diseases.
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
, BAckground to the play
SETTING
The play is set in Scotland in the 11th
century.
Most of the scenes take place in Scotland.
Some scenes are outdoors:
Act 1, Scene 1 takes place on the
battlefield
Act 1, Scene 3 on the heath (open
uncultivated land).
Only one scene is set in England, e.g. Act 4
Scene 3 is set in the English court.
Understanding the class-system:
The nobility
The nobility were rich people whose wealth and position in society was inherited. They
had political power and owned most of the land. The nobles in the play include Macbeth,
The Thane of Glamis, Lady Macbeth, Macduff and other Thanes, Siward, the Earl of
Northumberland.
The commoners
People who had not inherited title or wealth were called commoners. Most of them had
little chance of improving their social status and could not read or write. Many worked as
servants for a noble family. The porter and the noblewoman would be known as
commoners. The servant characters are often used to provide humour and to comment
on things the other characters are doing.
Army
Soldiers play an important role in the play as the play revolves around battles waged.
The play opens and closes with scenes set on the battlefield.
Macbeth’s friend, Banquo, also fought bravely in this battle. The king gives Macbeth the
title of Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his bravery in the battle. Another Thane of
Scotland, Macduff, has also gone to England to get help. The English king, King Edward,
is raising an army to rescue Scotland from Macbeth’s reign of terror.
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
Grade 12
English HL and FAl
Summaries
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
, Introduction
Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare.
He was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a
small town in England.
His plays were written about 400 years ago, but
they are still popular today. They have been
performed in hundreds of countries and
translated into nearly every language. By the time
he died in 1610, he had written about 38 plays and
over 150 poems.
Elizabethan Society
In Shakespeare’s time, England had a very unequal society. Some people were very rich,
but most were poor, although a middle class was developing. The powerful people were
wealthy landowners. Mostly these were the nobles, with titles like ‘Lord’ and ‘Lady’. They
inherited their wealth and high position in society. There was no democracy, like we have
today, and ordinary people could not vote for their rulers.
Women did not have equal rights to men. They could not inherit titles from their fathers,
and there were restrictions about women inheriting money. Only women from very
wealthy families were educated. Women were usually expected to be domestic servants
or housewives. Unlike many poor people, rich men were usually educated and could
read and write.
Most people were Christians and attended church regularly. The Church played an
important part in people’s lives. People did not live as long then as they do today – a
person was old at forty. Terrible diseases were common, like the plague, which was
spread by rats and killed thousands of people. Doctors did not have the skills or
knowledge to cure many diseases.
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
, BAckground to the play
SETTING
The play is set in Scotland in the 11th
century.
Most of the scenes take place in Scotland.
Some scenes are outdoors:
Act 1, Scene 1 takes place on the
battlefield
Act 1, Scene 3 on the heath (open
uncultivated land).
Only one scene is set in England, e.g. Act 4
Scene 3 is set in the English court.
Understanding the class-system:
The nobility
The nobility were rich people whose wealth and position in society was inherited. They
had political power and owned most of the land. The nobles in the play include Macbeth,
The Thane of Glamis, Lady Macbeth, Macduff and other Thanes, Siward, the Earl of
Northumberland.
The commoners
People who had not inherited title or wealth were called commoners. Most of them had
little chance of improving their social status and could not read or write. Many worked as
servants for a noble family. The porter and the noblewoman would be known as
commoners. The servant characters are often used to provide humour and to comment
on things the other characters are doing.
Army
Soldiers play an important role in the play as the play revolves around battles waged.
The play opens and closes with scenes set on the battlefield.
Macbeth’s friend, Banquo, also fought bravely in this battle. The king gives Macbeth the
title of Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his bravery in the battle. Another Thane of
Scotland, Macduff, has also gone to England to get help. The English king, King Edward,
is raising an army to rescue Scotland from Macbeth’s reign of terror.
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
